Rust prevention.



C. i. GESELL. Rus PREVENTION.

APPLICATTION FILED JAN-7,19l8.

Patented June 18, 1918.

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armure 1 RUST PREVENTION'.

Speoicatton ot )Letters Patent.

Patented dune iid, this.

lhttplicatlon led `January l?, tait. Serial No. allg'la.4

To all Iwhom, t may conce/rn:

lie it lrnown that ll, CARLOS lnnno @nennt a citizen of the ArgentineRepublic, and resident oi Mamaroneclr, in the county ot Westchester andState of New York, have invented certain new and useful improvements inRust Prevention, of which the iollowing is a specification.

'llh'e present invention relates to an improved method for preventingthe rusting of iron or steel objects, like ships, piers', condensers,etc., contactin with river, sea or the like water. llt utilizes to thised'ect the protective agent whichv an electro-positive metal to ironcreates under certain conditions on the said iron or steel object bymeans el a galvanic current. Another object of the present invention isto prepare the iron or steel parts in such a way that only a very slightgalvanic current will be required to prevent them from rusting.

With these and other objects in view, my invention is shown in theaccompanying drawings, and will hereinafter be more fully described withreference thereto, and nally be ointed out in the claims.

n the accompanying drawings :1

Figure l illustrates an iron sheet 10 which is in metallic contact witha mass of zinc 11, both metals being submerged in an aqueous salinesolution l2.

Fig. 2 is an identical view where the iron l0 is coated with a layer ofpaint i3, provided with pores or hssures la.

lin carrying out my invention, l make use of the phenomena cielectrolysis which generates when two diderent metals are in contactwith each other and submerged in a saline. solution, and which creates aprotective agent on the electro-negative metal, while theelectro-positive metal is eaten away., ll have 'found by experiment thatwhen iron is in metallic contact with zinc, both submer ed in the ocean,the iron does not rust, while the zinc is slowly consumed. An identicalphenomenom occurs when the aine is replaced by any other metal which iselectro-positive to iron and is enabled to create a galvanic current.The rate ot consumption of the electro-positive metal is proportional tothe rate with which the water absorbs 'the protective agent on theelectro-negative metal. 'llhe rate of this absorption varies with thequality of the wa ter and is more rapid when the water is` in motionthan when it is quiet,

ll explain the rusting of a painted iron plate submerged in water by thetheory that the paints' at .present in use are not absolutelywaterproof, thus giving opportunity for minute particles of water topassK through minute pores or fissures and act upon the metal, causingit to rust. Little animals which eat the paint away may also contributeto the rusting of an iron plate. When the rst little spots have begun torust, they spread out under the paint and peel it oli'.4 l

llfsuch Va painted iron plate is in metallic contact with a mass oizinc, both contacting with a saline water solution, a rusting will beprevented on the well paint covered parts by the action of the paint,and on the une covered parts by the action of the zinc'. Jtls thus therusting process cannot take a start, the paint is prevented trom-peelinged, and the consumption of zinc is slow because its electrolytic actionis confined onlyA to the minute uncovered spots.

l am aware that coatingof iron objectswith zinc has been used heretoforefor rust prevention, but ll believe to have suggested rst the method ofpreventing the rusting ci painted iron objects submerged in an aqueoussalt solution by putting them into metallic contact with an isolatedpiece of metal which'is electro-positive to iron and is also submergedin the said solution.. rlFhis not only enables one to replace theelectro-positive metal as often as necessary, but it enables also thepainting of the electro-negative metal in the way outlined. Such apainting is not expedient with galvanized or otherwise zinc coatedobjects, as it is well known that Zinc coated and painted iron ob jectssubmerged in an electrolyte like fresh or salt water do not last as longas identical objects deprived from the coating of paint. ll attributethis to the coating oi paint on the zinc which prevents the electrolyticaction thereof.

This invention applies to iron or steel objects submerged in a vessel ofreduced capacity, as well as to those submerged in a large expanse olwater and also to those objects submerged. in moist earth or the like.When referring to iron in the claims, ll include as well those alloyswhich are made chiedy of iro-n3, as for instance cast iron, steel,nickeletc..

l have illustrated and described preferred and satisfactory terms ot myinventiom'but lll@ I 1 TheI method of it is obvioils that ichanges maybe made therein withilfthe spirit and scope thereof as defined in the.appended claims.

I claim:

preventing the corrosion of a metal consistmg in the combination ofcovering it with a non-metallic coating of aint and making it the.negative elecltro e of a voltaic cell, 'the said coating of .aint vingaccess to the' said metal of a te ,amountof electrolyte. 2. A method ofrust prevention consisting 'in holding in metallic contact with eachother a body of iron covered with a' nonmetallic paint havin holes orfissures in it and an unpainted di erent metallic body in y anelectrolyte.

3. A method of rust prevention consistin in holding in metallic contactwith eac other a body of iron covered with a nonmetallic paint havingholes or fissures in it Lacasse and an unpainted'dierent metallic bodyin sea water.

4. A method of rust prevention consistin in holding in metallic contactwith eac other a body of iron covered with a nonmetallic paint havingholes .or fissures in it and an unpainted body of zinc in anelectrolyte.

5.. A method of rust prevention consistin in holding in metallic contactwith eac other a body of iron covered with a nonmetallic paint havinholes or fissures in it and an unpainted b y of zinc in sea water.

Signed at Mamaroneck, in the county of Westchester and State of NewYork, this fourth day of January, A. D. 1918.

CARLOS IDAHO GESELL.

